If you've never joined a bunch of people in a bar in spontaneous song, well, then you've never joined a bunch of people in a bar in spontaneous song. But if you have, you know it is an experience. One minute you're listening to pool balls clack and shot glasses hit the tables and then suddenly everyone is singing, arms around shoulders, and the treble is making the vodka bottles tremble up on the top shelf. Kind of a beautiful thing.
At least if you know all the words, but that's a whole other matter. And when it comes to sing-along bar songs, we have to go with "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon as the ditty mostly likely to get bar patrons to stop whatever they're doing and join in. The 1981 hit possesses powers unknown, but we're going to guess it's that "sleep/keep" rhyme in the chorus that gets people juiced. It is just solid.
If you've now got that song in your head, and you want to keep on "Keep on Loving You," Reo Speedwagon is rollin' into Ontario on May 21 and the Nokia Theatre on May 22. Along with Styx and 38 special. Oh yeah. This puts a rainbow over a tall sailing ship in our hearts.
And we'd be remiss not to mention our runner-up in the bar song category: "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton. We love this song, and we especially love this lyric: "Here you come again, looking better than a body has a right to." Thank you, Dolly. Thank you.
